CHAPTER VIII
Other Scenes
A taxicab was driving slowly down Regent Street in the neighborhood of Piccadilly Circus in London with a woman and a girl inside it. The woman leaned back in a relaxed position with her eyes not on the scene about her, but on the face of the girl. For she was sitting upright with her hands clasped tight together in her lap, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks glowing.
It was nearly six o"clock in the afternoon, the hour when English people, having just finished their "afternoon tea," were returning to their homes, so that the streets were crowded with fashionably dressed men and women. And to the girl in the cab they were entirely absorbing and interesting. For whatever the closeness of their relation, American and English people when seen in any numbers are strikingly different in their appearance. The English are taller and fairer, the men better dressed than the women, and with less energy and less grace than Americans. And to a young girl"s eyes there were also hundreds of other details of unlikeness and of fascination that older persons possibly might not have noticed. Besides there was the spectacle of big, beautiful, gray old London itself!
"Is there any other place on earth quite so wonderful?" Polly O"Neill queried, turning to glance shyly into the face of the woman beside her.
"I feel that I should like to do nothing else for the rest of my life but just sit here in this cab and drive about Piccadilly."
Miss Adams smiled. For Polly"s exaggerations, that oftentimes annoyed other people, merely amused her. Thus far, and they had been away for a number of weeks, the great lady had not repented her invitation to the girl to be her guest in Europe during the summer. For some reason she had taken an odd fancy to Polly. Moreover, she was weary of her usual summer amus.e.m.e.nts, wishing to enjoy life through younger eyes than her own. And the special value of Polly O"Neill as a companion was that with her ardent Irish temperament she could see and feel more in half an hour than many persons do in half a life time.
Now, however, with her swift vision of her companion"s expression, the girl"s altered. "You are tired," she murmured, with one of her quick changes of mood and of opinion, "and I am sure that I have seen all I wish to this afternoon. Don"t you think we had better drive back to the hotel?"
Miss Adams made a little sign to the cabman. "It is getting late, Polly, and I forgot to tell you that I am having a friend to dinner."
The girl was silent for the next few moments after this speech, yet her cheeks were flushing and her eyes so intent that it was evident she was trying to say something without having sufficient courage to begin.
Finally she did speak in an embarra.s.sed fashion:
"Miss Adams, I don"t quite know how to say this, but I have been wondering lately if you were not growing tired of London and staying on longer here on my account. You remember that you told me before we sailed that you were going to find some quiet place in the country to rest. And it has not been much rest for you showing me both Paris and London, with people after you all the time, even though you do refuse most of their invitations." A sudden overwhelming shyness confused the girl so that she could not continue for the moment. For in spite of the weeks of daily intimacy with her new friend, Polly was not yet able to think of her nor to treat her like any other human being. Not that Miss Adams was ever anything but simple and kind like most great people. She made no effort to be impressive and was not beautiful--only a slight, frail-looking woman with a figure like a girl"s, chestnut brown hair and big, indescribably wonderful eyes. But to Polly she represented everything in life worth attaining. Although still comparatively young, Margaret Adams had won for herself the position of one of America"s leading actresses. Moreover, she had the world"s respect as well as its admiration, and besides her reputation a large fortune. So it was small wonder that Polly should not so soon have recovered from her first combination of awe and devotion for this celebrated woman, nor yet understand the miracle of her choice of her as a traveling companion. It was true that Miss Adams had no family and no close relatives except her cousin, Mary Adams, who had been Polly"s elocution teacher in Woodford.
The effort to persuade this cousin to accompany her on the European trip had been the cause of Margaret Adams" visit to Woodford earlier in the spring. There, finding that her cousin could not join her and yielding to a sudden impulse, she had transferred her invitation to Polly. And the thought that Miss Adams may have repented her rashness since their departure from home had oftentimes made Polly O"Neill grow suddenly hot and then cold. Some day, perhaps, her mother would discover that this trip of Polly"s with Miss Adams was to teach her the lessons that at the present time she most needed--a new humility and the desire to place another person"s comfort and wishes before her own.
Perhaps Miss Adams partly understood the girl"s sensations, for without waiting for her to continue her speech she immediately asked: "What was the name of that place in the German forests about which your friends have written you? Did they not say that they had found a little house for themselves and another not far away for us? It might be pleasant to go there for a time."
In endeavoring to hide her excitement Polly now had to turn her head and pretend to be looking at something out of the opposite side of the cab.
For this suggestion of Miss Adams represented the summit of her own desires. Of course she had adored the sights and experiences of the weeks in Paris and London, and life had never been so fascinating; yet never for a moment had she ceased to look forward and yearn for a reunion with Betty and Esther. Moreover, Betty"s picture of the country where they now were sounded like a scene from one of the German operas.
But Polly only murmured: "The village is called "Waldheim,"" and made no reply when Miss Adams returned: "Perhaps it may be a good idea for us to go on there in a week or ten days, if we can make the necessary arrangements."
By this time, however, their cab had stopped in front of a small, inconspicuous brown hotel, which was one of the quietest and yet most fashionable hotels in London, and within a few moments the two women disappeared into their own rooms.
Half an hour afterwards Polly walked into their private sitting room.
There she sat down at a desk, intending to write to Betty Ashton before the dinner hour.
In making her European trip under such unusual circ.u.mstances Polly had not brought with her a great number of clothes. Nevertheless her stepfather had insisted that she have whatever might be necessary and Mrs. Wharton had taken great care and forethought to see that her things were beautiful and appropriate. For Polly was not an easy person to dress suitably. Persons who have more temperament than sheer physical beauty always are difficult. It is impossible that they should look well in any character of changing fashion or in the colors that are out of harmony with their natures. For instance, one could never conceive of Polly O"Neill in a pale blue gown, though for Mollie or Betty Ashton it might be one"s immediate choice. White and red, pale yellow or pink were Polly"s shades for evening wear and either brown or green for the street.
Tonight at work on her letter she appeared younger than in truth she was, like a girl of sixteen instead of nineteen. For although her hair was worn in a heavy braided coil encircling her head, her dress was extremely simple. It was of messaline silk of ivory whiteness and made with a short Empire waist and narrow, clinging skirt. There was no sign of tr.i.m.m.i.n.g, except where the dress was cut low into a square at the throat and edged with a fold of tulle.
On first coming into the sitting room, Polly, who had always an instinctive attraction toward bright colors, had taken a red carnation from a vase on a table and was now wearing the flower carelessly fastened inside her belt.
During the first absorption of her writing she had paid no heed to the door"s quiet opening. Nor did she stir when a strange man entering the room took his seat before the tiny fire which Miss Adams always had lighted in the evenings, since the English summer is so often unpleasantly cool to American people. Neither did the man appear to have observed Polly.
When the girl finally did become aware of his presence she remembered that Miss Adams had neglected to mention the name of the guest whom they were expecting to dinner. And although Polly was becoming more accustomed to the almost daily meetings with strangers, she always suffered a few first moments of painful shyness.
The man happened to have his back turned toward her and had seated himself in a comfortable big leather chair. Nevertheless as soon as she stirred from her desk he got up instantly, facing her with a kind of smiling and vague politeness such as one often employs in greeting a stranger. Their guest was a good-looking man, with clear-cut features, a smooth face and brown hair. He wore evening dress, of course, and held himself with exceptional dignity and grace. He must have been about twenty-seven or -eight years old. There was nothing in the least formidable or disconcerting in his appearance, so it seemed distinctly ungracious and stupid of Polly to commence their acquaintance by stammering, "Oh, Oh, why--" and then continue to gaze into their visitor"s face without attempting to finish her utterly unintelligible speech.
Also for the s.p.a.ce of a moment the man seemed surprised and a trifle embarra.s.sed by this odd form of greeting. Nevertheless the next instant he was staring at the girl in equal amazement. Then suddenly he held out both his hands. "It is the "Fairy of the Woods," or I am dreaming!" he exclaimed, closing and then opening his eyes again.
Polly at once dispelled all possible uncertainty. "If I am the "Fairy of the Woods," then you are "Grazioso" in "The Castle of Youth,"" she laughed, allowing her own hands to rest for the s.p.a.ce of a second in those of her former acquaintance. "But as I happen to remember your real name, Mr. Hunt, and you cannot possibly recall mine, I am Polly O"Neill."
"Then will you please sit down and tell me everything that has been happening to you and how I chance to find you here in London with Miss Adams?" Richard Hunt insisted, drawing up a chair to within a few feet of his own.
Polly sat down. And quite unconsciously dropped her pointed chin into the palm of her hand, murmuring with her elbow resting on the arm of her chair:
"You remember that time when I met you in New York, we were both playing in a fairy story," she said. "Well, sometimes fairy stories come true,"
she said.
Ten minutes afterwards when Miss Adams entered the drawing room to greet her guest, to her surprise she found that he and Polly were already deep in intimate conversation, so much so that they did not immediately hear her approach. And Polly was ordinarily so diffident and tongue-tied with strangers!
"I am glad that you and Mr. Hunt have not waited for me to introduce you, Polly," Miss Adams began. Polly jumped to her feet, and her face grew suddenly white. For she had never spoken of her escapade of two years before to Miss Adams, and did not know just how the great lady might receive it. Richard Hunt waited politely for the girl to acknowledge her previous acquaintance with him. For if she did not wish to speak he must, of course, by no word or sign betray her. However, in less than a moment Polly had fought out a silent battle with herself.
There was no positive reason why she should confess her misdeed to this woman whom she admired beyond all others. And yet to pretend a falsehood to her friend, Polly could not endure the thought.
The girl made a charming picture as she stood there in her white dress with her eyes cast down, not trusting herself to look into the face of either of her friends. Quite frankly, then, she told the entire story of her sudden yielding to temptation and of her two weeks" experience in stage life, which had resulted in her meeting with Mr. Hunt.
Nor did she allow her speech to take but a few moments of time, not wishing to draw too much attention to herself. At the instant of her finishing, it happened that dinner was announced, so that Miss Adams had no opportunity for expressing an opinion of Polly"s conduct either one way or the other. As they walked out of the room, however, she did manage to give Polly"s arm a tiny sympathetic squeeze, whispering, "I"ll tell you of my own first stage appearance some day, dear, if you remind me of my promise."
CHAPTER IX
The Meeting
"They are not coming, Esther, and I am so dreadfully disappointed I think I shall weep," Betty Ashton announced one afternoon about two weeks later. The two girls were waiting in front of a tumble-down little German station in the country, apparently several miles from any thickly settled spot. Esther was seated in a carriage with a driver, but Betty was leaning disconsolately over the station platform raised by a few steps from the ground. A few moments before she had been walking rapidly up and down in far too great a state of excitement and pleasure to keep still. Now, however, the train had pulled in and stopped, letting off several stout pa.s.sengers, but revealing no sign of Polly O"Neill and the maid, whom Miss Adams was sending on ahead to make things ready for her.
"They must have missed the train; they will be sure to come down early in the morning," Esther comforted.
But Betty mournfully shook her head. "It won"t be quite the same if they do. Of course I shall always be happy to see Polly O"Neill at any time or place in this world or the next; still, a postponed pleasure is not as agreeable as one that takes place on time. And think of all we had planned for this evening!"
Under the circ.u.mstances there was nothing for Betty to do now but to climb back into the carriage and take her seat next her sister. For the little station was by this time completely deserted and had few attractions for making one linger long in its neighborhood. It was too lonely and dilapidated. There was another station at Waldheim, where pa.s.sengers usually got out, but the two girls had given Polly special directions to use this one, so that they might have a long drive home through the German forests at sundown, bringing her to their little house in the woods amid the best scenic effects.
"We won"t even be able to receive a telegram tonight telling us what has occurred, the office closes so early," Betty continued. "I wish at least that d.i.c.k had not chosen to spend tonight in Berlin. Don"t you think he is behaving rather curiously lately, Esther? He is so unlike himself and sometimes so cross. Of course I realized that he had a right to be angry when those absurd German youths came wandering out here. But I was glad enough to have him write to Franz Schmidt that he was never to see me again. And we have not exactly the right to forbid Frederick von Reuter"s coming to this neighborhood. You don"t believe, do you, Esther child, that d.i.c.k can be staying in town so often lately to see that abominable girl at our old pension?"
Esther chanced to be gazing at the beautiful landscape through which they were pa.s.sing, so that the younger girl had no opportunity for observing her face. Moreover, Esther"s rather weary and wistful expression would not have altogether surprised her, as both she and her mother had been worrying recently over Esther"s appearance. Undoubtedly she was working too hard over her music. She went into town twice a week for lessons and the thought of her appearance in the early autumn might also be making her nervous.
Esther made no answer now to Betty"s complaints, but instead pointed toward a hill at the left of them. Near the summit they could see a gray stone house, looking more like a prison than the American ideal of a home, and yet possessing a kind of lonely beauty and dignity.
"Whose castle is that, Betty, do you know?" Esther queried. Betty wondered if the question was intended to change the current of her thoughts.
"It looks far more like one of the castles that we saw during our trip along the Rhine than the estates near Berlin."
Then for some absurd reason Betty blushed. "It is Fritz von Reuter"s uncle"s place, I believe. I have always intended telling you, Esther, if you will promise not to mention it to d.i.c.k. The day I first came to this neighborhood to look for a place for us to live I had rather an odd experience."
Betty would have continued her confession, but at this moment they were driving through a wonderful stretch of woodland road. The way was narrow and on one side was a sharp decline and on the other a thick growth of evergreens. Moving toward them was a horse with a young man upon it in a suit of light gray riding clothes, which in the afternoon sunlight looked almost the color of silver. He was carrying his hat in his hand and his hair was a bright yellow such as one seldom sees except in young children. Indeed, he was so remarkably handsome that even Esther, who rarely paid much attention to strangers, gazed at him for the moment with interest, temporarily forgetting what Betty had been trying to confess.
To her amazement, however, the rider made not the faintest effort to give their carriage the right of way, but moved on directly in the center of the road. Their driver, evidently recognizing the young man as a person of distinction, then drove so close to the underbrush on their right that both girls felt a momentary fear of being tumbled out.